Classic Hits – Page 254

Heart’s Nancy Wilson walked out the first time she saw Led Zeppelin live

January 9, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Heart‘s Nancy Wilson had quite a reaction to Led Zeppelin the first time she and her sister and bandmate, Ann Wilson, saw the band in concert.

While speaking to Premiere Guitar for the Jimmy Page episode of their 100 Guitarists podcast, Nancy shares that in May 1969 they went to see Fifth Dimension at the Green Lake Aqua Theater in Seattle, where Led Zeppelin was the opening act. They actually walked out because they thought frontman Robert Plant was being too racy.

“We were like, ‘Oh my God, the singer, he’s so suggestive,’” she said. “He’s got his shirt wide open, he’s got his bare chest and his jeans were really low riders and he was moving in this way that was so super-suggestive and we were kind of, like, shocked.”

She adds, “We were in a little folk band at the time, so we were from the suburbs, right. So we were kind of square, square little hippie chicks to be unenlightened, let’s just say. And so, we were like, ‘Oh, they’re so lewd. They’re just being so suggestive and lewd.'”

But what put it over the top was Zeppelin’s performance of “The Lemon Song,” a track that appeared on their album Led Zeppelin II.

“Then he sang about, like, ‘squeeze my lemon’ and we’re like, ‘Oh, we must leave, we must leave the premises’ because we were just shocked,” she said. “We were scandalized, and we had seen enough and we walked away.”

Their thoughts on Led Zeppelin apparently changed at some point. In fact, Ann and Nancy paid tribute to Led Zeppelin when they received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2012, performing the classic “Stairway to Heaven,” which featured Jason Bonham, son of Led Zeppelin’s late drummer John Bonham. The performance earned a standing ovation from Plant and later went viral on YouTube.

Michael Shannon & Jason Narducy perform R.E.M.’s ‘Driver 8’ ahead of ‘Fables of the Reconstruction’ tour

January 9, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Actor Michael Shannon and musician Jason Narducy will hit the road in February for a tour where they’ll be performing songs from R.E.M.’s 1985 album Fables of the Reconstruction, and folks just got a taste of what to expect.

The musicians appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Wednesday, where they performed the R.E.M. classic “Driver 8.”

The tour kicks off Feb. 14 in Pioneertown, California, with stops in Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, New York and more before wrapping March 14 in Chicago.

This isn’t the first time the pair have launched a tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of an R.E.M. album. They previously went on the road in honor of the 40th anniversary of R.E.M.’s debut album, Murmur.

The latest tour includes two shows, Feb. 27 and Feb. 28, in R.E.M.’s home city of Athens, Georgia. During Shannon and Narducy’s Murmur tour, all four members of R.E.M. — Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Bill Berry and Peter Buck — made a surprise appearance at the Athens show, although Stipe did not perform.

In other R.E.M. news … Buck is set to join Drivin N Cryin frontman Kevin Kinney for four shows in January. The shows kick off Jan. 28 in Atlanta and include stops in Chattanooga and Athens, before wrapping Jan. 31 in Ellijay.

On This Day, Jan. 9, 1944: Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page was born

January 9, 2025 by WDNY Radio

On This Day, Jan. 9, 1944 …

James Patrick Page, better known as Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, was born in Heston, a suburb of London.

Page started his career as a studio musician and was a member of The Yardbirds before forming Led Zeppelin in 1968 with Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham.

The band went on to become one of the bestselling acts in music history, releasing nine studio albums that all reached the top 10, with six hitting #1.

Led Zeppelin called it quits in 1980 following Bonham’s death, although the surviving members would reunite in 1985 to perform at Live Aid in Philadelphia and again in 1988 for the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary concert in New York, with Bonham’s son, Jason Bonham, behind the drum kit. They reunited for a final time in 2007 at the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert at London’s O2 Arena, again with Jason.

Outside of Led Zeppelin, Page and Plant worked together in the band the Honeydrippers and performed together as Page-Plant in the early to mid-’90s. Page also collaborated with several other artists, including David Coverdale and The Black Crowes.

Page was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Led Zeppelin in 1995. In 2005 he was appointed Order of the British Empire and earned a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award with Led Zeppelin.

Billy Joel returns to Yankee Stadium … with Rod Stewart in tow

January 9, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Back in 1990, Billy Joel staged the first rock concerts ever held at New York’s Yankee Stadium. Now he’s coming back, and he’s bringing Rod Stewart with him.

Billy has announced that he and Rod will play a one-night-only show at the iconic New York venue on July 18. A Citi cardmember presale starts Jan. 13 at 10 a.m. ET. The general sale begins Jan. 17 at 10 a.m. ET.

During his residency at Madison Square Garden, which ended last year, Billy generally avoided performing at other venues in the New York-New Jersey area, but now all bets are off. He’s also going to perform at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Aug. 8 with Stevie Nicks.

Billy and Stevie began performing shows together in 2023. Last year, he added Sting and Rod to his list of co-headliners for stadium dates.

Billy’s next show is Jan. 17 in Hollywood, Florida, solo. On Feb. 8, he and Sting will perform in Indianapolis.

YouTube records are made of this: Eurythmics join Billion Views Club

January 8, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Over 40 years ago a music video featuring a woman with an orange crew cut and a bunch of cows became an MTV hit and a #1 single. Now it’s joined YouTube’s Billion Views Club.

Eurythmics‘ 1983 clip for their synthpop classic “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” has racked up 1 billion views on the platform — and it’s their first to have reached this milestone.

One of the most iconic videos of the early days of MTV, it features singer Annie Lennox, rocking a man’s suit and that orange crew cut and brandishing a cane while standing in a boardroom. Her musical partner Dave Stewart is dancing in a field wearing a mask, and a lot of cows are seen wandering around.

Lennox said of the video in 2017, “I was trying to be the opposite of the cliché of the female singer. I wanted to be as strong as a man, equal to Dave and perceived that way.”

Stewart said, “I wanted to make a commentary on the music business but also make something a bit performance art – weird and dreamlike. So we mocked up a record-company boardroom in a studio … and put a cow in it, to signify reality. There we were: Annie and I laid flat on a table, and this cow, which was peeing everywhere.”

“Sweet Dreams” was the duo’s only U.S. #1 hit, but they went on to score a string of bestselling albums, as well as other MTV hits like “Love Is a Stranger,” “Here Comes the Rain Again,” “Would I Lie to You?” and “Missionary Man.”

Barry Manilow extends Radio City Music Hall residency with new April dates

January 8, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Barry Manilow‘s still got that New York City rhythm in his life.

The legendary entertainer, who was born in Brooklyn, is continuing his residency at the Big Apple’s Radio City Music Hall, announcing new shows April 9-13. Tickets for all shows will go on sale Jan. 17 at 10 a.m. Tickets will also be available in person starting Jan. 17 at both the Radio City box office, and the box offices at Madison Square Garden and the Beacon Theatre.

Barry began his Radio City residency in the spring of 2023. Since then, he’s done two five-night runs: one in April 2024 and one in October. On April 20, he set the record for the most lifetime concert performances at the venue with 42.

If you can’t make it to New York City, Manilow is also doing a series of North American shows in May and June, starting May 23 in Pittsburgh and wrapping up June 5 in Cleveland. These concerts are billed as this singer’s “one last show” in each city.

Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks announce new North American tour dates

January 8, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Former Yes frontman Jon Anderson will once again be hitting the road with the cover group The Band Geeks.

The rocker just announced new tour dates for 2025, with the trek consisting of 18 shows that kick off April 1 in Tucson, Arizona, and wrap May 18 in Carteret, New Jersey.

The show will feature Anderson performing songs from throughout his career, including tracks from the Yes catalog, along with songs from his first album with The Band Geeks, True, which was released in August.

Ahead of the tour, Anderson and The Band Geeks will release a new live album and DVD, Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks Live – Perpetual Change, a recording of their concert at the Arcada Theater in St. Charles, Illinois, which took place during their 2023 summer tour. It comes out March 14 and is available for preorder now.

Gene Simmons adds more dates to his US spring tour

January 8, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Gene Simmons has added a handful of new dates to his U.S. tour with his Gene Simmons Band.

In addition to his previously announced shows, which start in April in California and run through May in Houston, the God of Thunder will perform April 3 in Anaheim, California, April 8 in Auburn, Washington, April 10 in Magna, Utah, and May 18 in Rockford, Illinois.

A complete list of dates and ticket information can be found at GeneSimmons.com.

Following KISS’ final show at New York’s Madison Square Garden last December, Simmons’ first solo show was in April 2024 at the grand opening of the Rock & Brews Restaurant and Concert Bar in Ridgefield, Washington. He and his band then went on to play shows in Brazil and Europe.

X user claims they were scared of the ‘sinister vibes’ in Billy Joel’s ‘Uptown Girl’

January 8, 2025 by WDNY Radio

The words “Billy Joel” and “sinister vibes” don’t normally go together, which is why one user on social platform X is getting roasted for claiming that’s what they got from the Piano Man’s 1983 doo-wop-inspired hit “Uptown Girl.“

The user, @plumjae, who Page Six claims is a “Gen Zer,” initially posted, “I was in an Uber share today and a song came on that had the most sinister vibes ever and all three of us were sitting in dead silence I wish I could rmbr the song imma try to find it.”

They followed it up by posting the “Uptown Girl” video, starring Billy as a mechanic who tries to woo a wealthy woman played by his then-girlfriend and future wife Christie Brinkley.

They wrote, “I found it. I was scared as f*** the Uber was just gonna drive us off the road I do not like the energy this song brought into the car.”

While there are a few Billy Joel songs that might be described as somewhat sinister — “Pressure,” “Stiletto” and “The Stranger” come to mind — most X users mocked the poster over their reaction to what is decidedly not that type of tune.

“This is definitely the last song I would have guessed,” wrote one.

“To think we’ve crossed the Rubicon where one of the most well known pop songs of all time by one of the most successful pop artists of all time is a ‘Creepy mystery song,'” wrote another.

“Lmfaoooooo how old are you?!” someone replied. “Omg it was Uptown Girl? Dying… I thought it was Marilyn Manson or something lol,” wrote another.

Yet another snarked, “Tell us you’re younger than 30 without telling us you’re younger than 30.”

Elton John lands on Variety500 list of showbiz leaders

January 8, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Variety has put together its annual list of the 500 biggest names in showbiz over the past year, and Elton John has made the cut.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is recognized in the Talent category of the Variety500, which was released ahead of the publication’s annual Entertainment Summit on Jan. 8. According to the trade, the list recognizes the year’s “leaders, movers and shakers” in the entertainment world.

Elton is singled out for all the recent highlights of his career, including the 2024 release of the documentary Elton John: Never Too Late, the 2023 conclusion of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour and the livestream of the final show on Disney+, Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium, which earned him an Emmy, making him an EGOT winner.

Other musicians making the Talent list this year include Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Rihanna and Beyoncé.

The rest of the 500 names are in TV, film, gaming, production, digital media, marketing, podcasting and other entertainment-related disciplines.

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